The hottest day of the season so far greeted the boys as we turned
up at West Harrow Recreation ground for our first meeting with
Yarl CC. Having had a look round on the internet, we knew that
Yarl were generally a good batting side, so we'd have to bowl well
but then again the Goodwill had been posting totals this season so
we were confident.
Captain Ollie Sayers was missing this week but Gareth Hughes
returned and thankfully there were showers at the ground (much to
Gareth's relief). Subhakanta Das also made his return the team.
Having won the toss, stand-in skipper Colin Correa elected to bat
first, much to the delight of the dressing room given how hot it
was. The first two overs yielded plenty of runs and the Goodwill
were off to a flyer. Westy hit 23 and Marcus hit 21, but
unfortunately wickets were tumbling at a pretty steady rate.
Suddenly the good start was in danger of being wasted. Das and
Darren Westwood played sensibly down the order as the Goodwill
looked to use up their overs and eek out a competitive total on a
decent wicket which was, if anything, just a little two-paced.
An inside edge from the bat of Gareth Hughes into the stumps
closed the Goodwill innings, all out for 139. A few years back, we
would have been pleased with such a score, but there was a mood of
disappointment amongst the boys, which is a real positive and a
sign of how far the side has come. Disappointment in the manner of
some of the dismissals but also the fact that we only used up 29.1
overs.
When we went out into the field, the mood changed for the first
ball. The determination, desire, hunger and belief in each other
surfaced, and the boys were ready to grit their teeth and defend
every single one of the 139 runs amassed. Colin Correa managed to
re-discover some form from the pavilion end, and Chris Westwood,
bowling his 7 overs off-the-reel from the far end, was
exceptional, going for just 8 runs and picking up a wicket too.
With the two paced nature of the pitch, the Goodwill took the pace
off the ball with the leg-spinners, Ronny and Das bowling in
tandem. Darren continued his exceptional season form. His first
wicket of the day, caught by Disco Doshi, brought up his 100th
wicket for the club, a magnificent achievement. Oh, and a jug. His
next two took him to the brink of his best wickets-return for a
season ever, and we have only just reached the end of June.
Darren's bowling has been a massive positive of the season so far.
With Das also chipping in with 3 wickets, the Goodwill kept going
and going in the heat. All the while though, Rayan was batting
well for Yarl and with the boundary being found every so often,
all three results were possible. It fell to Das to spin one down,
the batsman to sky one up, and the safe hands of Darren Westwood
to pluck the ball out of the blue sky and mid-off to complete a
remarkable victory by 23 runs.
Last week against Bentley Heath, I wrote that I thought it was one
of the club's best victories given the opposition and state of the
game. I think this victory over Yarl was equally as good, if not
better, having been shot out for a low total on a good wicket,
against a decent side.
"Is there a score we cannot defend?" asked Kiwi Marcus Wilson in
the dressing room after. I'd suggest we don't try and go any
lower, because otherwise we will find a score we can't defend and
lose! The momentum continues, the victories are totting up, the
standard of our performances continues to improve, and most
importantly, the banter and feel-good factor strengthens game by
game.
We look forward now to our long trip to Hartley Whitney next week.
Hopefully we're playing on the beautiful village green. No matter
what ground or wicket greets us, we will turn up with the same
belief and hunger that has underlined the season so far. And we'll
enjoy it.
